Wait For It
by thepensword
Summary: Padparadscha is different. It takes her a while to figure this out; the world is so confusing, and she's always falling behind. But she's different. This she knows. Homeworld is not so fond of 'different'.


**I frickin love Padparadscha, ok?**

 **Title from 'Wait For It' by Lin-Manuel Miranda**

 **Cover pic is not mine.**

* * *

Padparadscha is different.

It takes her a while to figure this out; the world is so confusing. Her vision is filled with possibility after possibility in an unintelligible rush that takes her several moments to understand.

The other sapphires move faster. They are gone in between blinks, and Padparadscha is left confused and alone.

"She's useless," whispers a Blue to a Pink. Padparadscha hears it and looks up in distress, but Blue and Pink have moved on.

"Move it, off-color," scoffs Star. Star is beautiful, gleaming and icy-blue and with perfect, perfect vision.

Padparadscha registers too late that she's been pushed to the ground.

"I'm not normal," she whispers into the surrounding solitude. "I'm…wrong."

* * *

"We will consult the sapphires," says Jasper. She and Chrysolite enter the Hall of Clarity.

"This is your chance," says Yellow, softly and not unkindly. "Your last chance."

Padparadscha inhales deeply and opens her eye.

Jasper and Chyrsolite stand before her, waiting. The other sapphires are staring.

"Uh…your clarity?" prods Chrysolite and Padparadscha realizes that she's gotten behind again.

"Oh," says Padparadscha. She tries harder, straining her vision as far as it will go. "I…I predict that you will inevitably turn to Star Sapphire for the answers you seek."

"Um," says the Jasper from where she stands in front of Star. "Is there something…wrong with her?"

"Yes," says Star. "There is something _very_ wrong with her."

* * *

There is no place on Homeworld for a defective gem.

* * *

"Useless," says Plume Agate. "She's no good for anything."

"What should we do with her?" asks Ruby.

"Take her to be harvested."

Padparadscha gasps. "No!" she cries. Her eye closes for better concentration and she realizes that the world has already moved on. Hands are at her wrists, and there's a heat before her face.

Her vision came too late, just like always.

She's worthless but she doesn't want to be harvested. She doesn't want to die.

Her eye still closed, she pulls away and _runs_. Sapphires are fast, and Padparadscha is no exception despite her backlogged vision, but she cannot see and soon she trips and then she falls and falls and falls.

Someone catches her. Padparadscha opens her eye.

"Someone's going to save me!" she cries, and then realizes she no longer falling.

* * *

Lars is lovely.

He gets impatient, and he gets confused, and sometimes he starts crying for no reason, but he's kind to her. He tells her about Earth, about Mom and Dad and Sadie and the Cool Kids. She tells him what she sees, and this always makes him smile.

Sometimes their conversations are deeper. Lars feels useless. He feels weak.

"I'm no good for anything," he confesses. "I'm scared and I'm weak. I've always just been scared and weak."

Padparadscha knows what that feels like.

Lars is the one who tells the Off-Colors what friendship is.

* * *

"I'm wrong," says Padparadscha.

"No," says Garnet. "You're unique."

She offers her hand. Padparadscha takes it, and then they dance. There's light and growth and a presence (two presences) in her head and then she opens her eye(s) and…

For the first time in her existence she can see.

"Oh!" she says with a voice just higher than Garnet's. "Oh, this is wonderful!"

They fuse three times before Padparadscha decides it's too much. Everything moves too fast, and there's just _so much_ to look at.

So she closes her eye and holds Steven's or Garnet's or Rhodonite's or Rutile's or Lars' hand and lets them guide her and just _listens._

Sometimes even that's too much, and she wants to see things like the sky and the grass and the faces of her friends. Those times she'll open her eye and the other gems will understand. Peridot still gets impatient and Amethyst sometimes forgets, but the others will simply wait for her to catch up. Padparadscha appreciates that.

* * *

Padparadscha is different, but that's alright.

It's the mark of a Crystal Gem.

* * *

 **Drop a comment and tell me what you thought!**


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